Venus Williams Reaches US Open Doubles QFs
Venus Williams Returns to US Open Doubles Quarter-Finals After 7 Years
New York – Tennis legend Venus Williams, 45, teamed up with rising star Leylah Fernandez to defeat Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova and China’s Zhang Shuai 6-3, 6-4, securing a spot in the US Open doubles quarter-finals. This marks Williams’ first Grand Slam doubles quarter-final appearance since 2016.
Fernandez, born three years after Williams claimed her first of 14 Grand Slam doubles titles in 1999, praised her partner’s enduring skill and experience on the court. Williams had received a last-minute invitation from US Open organisers to compete in the doubles event, a tournament she won twice alongside her younger sister, Serena.
Williams revealed that Serena, now retired, had been “coaching from afar,” offering a pep talk earlier Monday. “She told me, gave me a pep talk, and made sure to call me today,” Williams said. “I was, like, ‘You’re right. I got it. I got it.’ She’s definitely coaching from afar. She gets so nervous watching, and she’s got the kids watching, they’re all at home, just really on our side.”
During her on-court interview after the win, Venus joked about wanting Serena to fly to New York to witness the quarter-final in person. “If she came, it would be a dream for both of us, and we’d have her on the court coaching,” she said. “We’d force her to hit, even though she doesn’t hit often. It’s probably best she doesn’t come because we’d probably bully her.”
The Williams-Fernandez duo could face top seeds Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic and American Taylor Townsend in the quarter-finals.
Williams, a seven-time Grand Slam singles champion, returned to competition at the Washington Open in July after a sixteen-month break from the WTA Tour. Following her singles exit, she hinted that the US Open would likely be her final tournament of the season.
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